Thunderous roars of lightning jolted everyone in the valley awake, including Mo Ran.
"Mo Ran, since I haven't seen Ye Yutian, I don't know how severe his injuries are. But take this elixir back to him—it'll be useful. And here's some hundred-flower honey; bring it to him too. It's excellent for nourishing his meridians."
"If you're really that worried about him, why not just come with me to see him? Why insist on having me deliver the elixir?" Mo Ran drawled lazily, a rogueish smirk playing on his lips, utterly nonchalant.
"I can't get away right now, and even if I wanted to go, it should be when it's safe. Anyway, you're probably the most anxious about Ye Yutian's injuries. If you don't want to deliver it, then forget it." Ye Lanshan saw his attitude—hardly that of someone truly concerned about Ye Yutian's wounds—and her heart sank halfway. Clearly, Mo Ran couldn't be relied on.
"Oh, it's rare to see you this worked up. Fine, I'll deliver it." Mo Ran stretched lazily and pocketed the elixir.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Ye Lanshan said it lightly, as if it were nothing, giving off an air of detachment.
"Heh." Mo Ran found her ethereal, almost celestial demeanor irritating, but considering she'd gifted him a divine elixir yesterday, he let it slide.
No sooner had Mo Ran left than someone came running up breathlessly. "Valley Master, something terrible! Lü Jidao is dead, and everyone thinks you killed him." Zhou Zizhi gasped, his throat feeling like it was on fire.
"Who's Lü Jidao?" Ye Lanshan's eyes showed a flicker of confusion.
"Valley Master, don't you remember? The one who came with me to cause trouble and challenged you to an alchemy duel."
Zhou Zizhi scratched his head sheepishly as he spoke. After all, he'd been one of the ringleaders back then. Though Shanluo hadn't held it against him and even assigned him a task, he still felt a pang of shame whenever he thought about it.
"Oh, him." Ye Lanshan searched her memory. Ah, that arrogant kid. She recalled how at the exchange meeting, he'd glared at her with venomous, dark eyes, as if he wanted to kill her. Now, someone else had beaten him to it.
"Yes, that's right. Valley Master, Master Sikong is calling for you now. What should we do? I've noticed a lot of alchemists seem obedient on the surface, but they don't truly accept you."
Zhou Zizhi was genuinely worried for her, his eyes full of panic and helplessness.
"Let's go see first. I'm curious who's framing me like this." Ye Lanshan's lips curled into a perfectly measured smile. Had Sikong Cheng finally made his move?
"So this is the fine valley master you've chosen. My disciple has died so tragically—let's see how you explain this to me."
An old man with white hair and a white beard, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, had a face that didn't match his demeanor at all. It was clear he'd killed many in his life.
He stared menacingly at Sikong Yanguang, making even Sikong Yanguang feel a bit intimidated. This old man was also a Xuan Emperor, named Lü Meng.
He was distantly related to the Lü family of the Yue Kingdom, but what truly made him fearsome was his position: a core elder of the Medicine Valley and the head of the Punishment Hall. His authority rivaled that of the valley master. Lü Jidao had been his most prized disciple, gifted among the younger generation.
Having not opposed Sikong Yanguang becoming valley master back then, he naturally had no grounds to oppose Sikong Kuang's disciple taking over. But now that his most beloved disciple had been killed by him, how could he not oppose it? How could he not hate and rage? This seething fury built up inside him, as if he wouldn't rest until Ye Lanshan was torn to pieces.
"Elder Lü, you're mistaken there. What evidence do you have that I killed him? Did you see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears?"
Ye Lanshan walked in to find the tense, explosive atmosphere and sneered inwardly. Such a childish trick. Framing me? If you're so eager to play these petty games, don't blame me for using this chance to uproot your factions.
"Evidence? Fine, I'll show you evidence. Follow me." Lü Meng's eyes blazed with fire as he glared at Ye Lanshan. Her refusal to confess only added fuel to his rage.
But Ye Lanshan, with a clear conscience, wasn't about to be intimidated by a mere glare.
Fortunately, Lü Meng, unlike his twisted disciple, seemed to have some integrity. He didn't use his pressure to suppress her, which made her walk even more calmly, as if it had nothing to do with her.
"Take a look. If you didn't kill him, why would he write your name on the ground?"
Ye Lanshan looked down. Indeed, the blood-red characters "Shan Luo" were twisted on the ground, so faint and blurry that they were barely recognizable as her name.
"Then you're mistaken there. After all, I have no motive to kill him, right? Maybe writing my name had some other meaning?"
Ye Lanshan had already examined Lü Jidao's corpse. It was a bloody mess, with bones exposed in several places, and one leg was pitch black, as if scorched by fire. It didn't look like the work of an assassin.
"No motive? I recall you were forced to duel with him and won all his possessions. And when rumors were flying around, he spread them the most. Maybe you held a grudge and killed him brutally for that."
Luo Yongwu's eyes gleamed with malice. He was smug inside. No matter how powerful you are, what can you do? Even with Sikong Feihe's protection, what's the use? The Sikong family head wants you dead—how could you possibly survive? Let's see you escape this time.
"If we're talking about the duel, I was the victor. As for the rumors, I never paid them any attention or took them to heart. I don't even know who started them. Why would I kill him?"
Ye Lanshan looked at him calmly, neither enraged nor panicked, nor flustered. Her composed, clear-headed explanation actually lessened some of the suspicion against her.
"Do you think just because you say you don't care, you really don't? Who in this world doesn't care about their reputation and let others slander them? Fine, even if you claim you don't care, how do you explain the 'Shan Luo' on the ground?"
Luo Yongwu clung to this point relentlessly.
He'd realized that Ye Lanshan was silver-tongued. No matter what, she could always find a way to exonerate herself. So he had to latch onto the "Shan Luo" on the ground to leave her speechless.
"Elder Lü, do you think so too?" Ye Lanshan turned to Lü Meng. If a man who'd overseen punishments and interrogated countless criminals thought the same, he didn't deserve his position.
"There are indeed suspicious points here, but you're still the prime suspect." Lü Meng had calmed down after hearing her words. On second thought, many things didn't add up.